Exercise Cuts Young Adult Blood Pressure

U.S. young adults who exercised five times a week reduced their risk of hypertension by 17 percent.

Lead author David Jacobs Jr., an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, tracked the physical-activity levels and blood-pressure measurements of almost 4,000 black and white men and women ages 18 to 30 over a 15-year period. Each participant burned 300 calories per exercise session.

Overall, 634 adults developed hypertension, defined as systolic pressure of at least 140 mm Hg; diastolic pressure of at least 90 mm Hg; or the need to take blood-pressure medications, according to the study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

The study also found participants who increased their total physical activity from the start of the study decreased their risk of high blood pressure by 11 percent for every 1,500 calories they burned weekly.